Random House Raises E-Book Wholesale Prices Significantly – Publisher’s Lunch – Michael Cader

Random House announced their library ebook pricing, effective as of March 1, which will dampen some of the enthusiasm for the house’s commitment to the “unrestricted and perpetual availability of our complete frontlist and backlist of Random House, Inc.” in ebook form. The new prices, which librarians tell The Digital Shift represent up to a tripling, are calibrated to “bring our titles in price-point symmetry with our Books on Tape audio book downloads for library lending. These long have carried a considerably higher purchase price point than our digital audio books purchased for individual consumption.” The new price structure for library wholesalers is:

• New hardcovers, “for the most part” are $65 to $85.
• Titles available for several months, or generally timed to paperback release, move to a range of $25 to $50.
• New children’s hardcovers are $35 to $85.
• Older children’s titles and children’s paperbacks are $25 to $45.

The response to this depends on the various libraries, and also each library’s ebook lending patterns from patrons. Pricing levels, of course, will adjust accordingly.